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(Items marked with a * are new or updated items)
1. Executive Director’s Reflection *
2. Thank you for providing feedback on first public draft of new Strategic Plan *
3. Annual Member Campaign will begin March 31st *
4. Certification interviews the weekend of April 21-22, 2012 *
5. Have you accessed the March-April 2012 Vision yet?
6. Have your considered joining NACC now?
7. Have you moved recently and not told us?
8. Early Bird Special ends April 16th! Did you complete your conference registration? *
9. Many sponsors support the NACC National Conference *
10. Did you see the CNN Opinion article by our plenary speaker, Dr. C. Vanessa White? *
11. Enjoy a song performed by our Conference Weaver, Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam. *
12. Would you consider being a Vision writer for the 2012 Conference? *
13. Would you contribute Items for the Silent Auction for the NACC 2012 Conference?
14. 2012 Conference Looking for Bloggers
15. Memories of Milwaukee
16. Did you see the recent article regarding physician’s support of chaplain’s role? *
17. Thank you for responding to the request for help on end-of-life discussion research *
18. Thank you for responding to the request for advice from EPIC users *
19. Request: do you have experience creating Clinical Ladders?
20. Request: assistance in administering Catholic Patients’ Satisfaction Survey
21. The 2012 NACC audio conferences!
22. NACC local/regional events *
23. Spiritual Care Champions Series 2012-2013 Webinar Series annual registration is closed *
24. The 5th Annual National Healthcare Decisions Day is on April 16th!
25. Online spiritual care knowledge base being developed
26. APC Webinars
27. ACPE Webinar Series
28. HealthCare Chaplaincy Webinars
29. The New SCC 2011 Salary Survey is now available!
30. Are you planning to give any presentations on chaplaincy?
31. Order your video promoting the chaplaincy profession
32. Accessing the chaplaincy profession video on YouTube
33. Healing Tree: a request for prayers *
34. Recent job postings *
35. Advertisers, administrators, and directors! Post an ad on our job page and watch the applications roll in!
36. Positions wanted *
Executive Director’s Reflection *How many times have we heard yesterday’s Gospel? Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit… Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. John 12:24-26
I was recently with a group of our members who were sharing the call to this ministry. One woman reflected on her call, the death in her family and her experience of aiding the family in that process which planted the seed of this ministry, and the mysterious attraction then ensued. She found herself drawn to this ministry, sensing the grace of “honor and privilege” promised by Christ to journey with those in times of illness and dying.
Most of you are around suffering, illness, and dying every day. In the midst of this ministry you continue to experience the timeless draw to be there with her, with him, with them; and you live out again and again the mystery of the passage above. Unless, unless, unless… Where I am, there also will my servant be. You too experience the promised grace of “honor” to be part of those intimate, fragile moments.
Being present to others in their “falling” process, witnessing from our faith perspective the Paschal Mystery, while respecting, reverencing, and nurturing the unique spirituality and religious tradition of the one being attended to as that person seeks meaning and purpose are all grounded in and fed by our deepest belief and motivation--being Christ’s servant where Christ is present. Where I am, there also will my servant be. And we experience again the grace of “honor” promised by Christ.
We certainly embrace and continue to develop all the professional skills, knowledge, and abilities to demonstrate well the standards of practice for professional chaplains. We realize that just “being there” does not exhaust the professional scope of practice required and needed to be effective in this ministry. However, the heart of this profession is well stated in the Preamble of the Standards of Practice for Professional Chaplains in Acute Care Settings. “Chaplaincy care is grounded in initiating, developing and deepening, and bringing to an appropriate close, a mutual and empathic relationship with the patient, family, and/or staff. The development of a genuine relationship is at the core of chaplaincy care and underpins, even enables, all the other dimensions of chaplaincy care to occur.”
Link: Standards of Practice for Professional Chaplains in Acute Care Settings
As we move into the sacred celebrations of Holy Week, we are drawn through ritual, readings, and reflection into the heart of our Christian faith, the Paschal Mystery, which is at the core of our ministry, just as “a genuine relationship is at the core of chaplaincy care.” The “unless a grain of wheat falls…” has an Easter ending.
During this upcoming Holy Week, may each of us again be reminded of and reflect on when the seed of this ministry was planted, its initial draw, the mystery of standing with others, and the humble grace of “honor” bestowed on us in becoming servants of the Beloved.
A Blessed Holy Week to you!
David Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director
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Thank you for providing feedback on first public draft of new Strategic Plan *We are grateful to the more than 120 members who participated in providing feedback on the first public draft of the new NACC Strategic Plan. The NACC Board of Directors will be reviewing those comments during their meeting on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. A second public draft will be prepared for viewing and comment within days of their meeting, and we will be asking again for your feedback. Members will provide feedback on the third public draft at the 2012 National Conference in Milwaukee, May 19-22. Thank you again for feedback and counsel! This will be our plan!
Annual Member Campaign will begin March 31st *Each year we reach out to our members to invite them to support the Annual Member Campaign. For the past five years, you continue to respond generously. Our member participation has grown from a little over 6% in 2007 to now more than 17%, and revenue has grown from a little over $28,000 in 2007 to now more than $47,000 in 2011. This Campaign is so vital for the health of NACC. It helps us keep our educational offerings reasonably priced and enables us to waive or reduce program fees for members in need, provide extra networking calls, offer scholarships as we can, and be extra responsive when challenging financial circumstances arise due to family job losses and other family circumstances. Please be as generous as you can. If you have not given in the past, please consider offering some support this year. Blessings on you!
Certification interviews the weekend of April 21-22, 2012 *The NACC is happy to announce that the next certification interviews are taking place on April 21st and 22nd. We are interviewing 55 applicants from across the United States in the following cities:
Chicago, IL |
Middletown (Hartford), CT |
Milwaukee, WI |
Orange, CA |
Phoenix, AZ |
Queens, NY |
Silver Spring, MD |
St. Louis, MO |
In addition to the 55 applicants, we are hosting 9 Site Coordinators, 13 Interview Team Educators, and 68 interviewers. Thank you to everyone who is working so hard to make this event possible. Please keep everyone involved in the interviews in your thoughts and prayers.
Have you accessed the new March-April 2012 Vision yet?The March-April 2012 Vision is now available on the NACC website. The main theme is on collaborating with our professional colleagues and serving on interdisciplinary teams. It is a very helpful issue. Remember that you no longer need your member number to access the Vision; just go to www.nacc.org/vision! Continued thanks to Laurie Hansen-Cardona and the Editorial Advisory Panel for their excellent work!
Have you considered joining NACC now?Are you one of the more than 1,100 non-members who has subscribed to NACC Now? We are delighted you find this a valuable tool to advance the ministry of spiritual care and chaplaincy. Have you considered becoming an NACC Member? Join the more than 2,500 members who advance the ministry of spiritual care, and support one another’s ministry! Receive additional members’ benefits! Visit the NACC website for more membership information. Join today! If you have questions about being a member, please contact Cindy Bridges (cbridges@nacc.org). www.nacc.org/membership/categories.asp
Have you moved recently and not told us?When you have moved personal residences or places of employment, or have a new e-mail address or phone number, please don’t forget to contact Mary Pawicz (mpawicz@nacc.org), our membership support staff person at the NACC office, to let her know! Please note that a valid, working email address and a current phone number are very important. For reasons of convenience and cost these are the most likely methods we will use to contact you. We don’t want you to miss our communications to you!
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The Early Bird Special does not last much longer! April 16th is three weeks from today! Don’t miss our national plenary speakers and conference weaver, as well as quality workshops. Complete your registration today! Also, please be sure to make your hotel registration! Rooms are filling up! The brochure is also online at www.nacc.org/conference.
Many sponsors support the NACC National Conference *Each year Conference sponsors support our efforts to keep participant fees reasonable. We are again very grateful for the following sponsors who so far have committed to sponsor our conference.
Dr. C. Vanessa White, one of our plenary speakers wrote an article on September 5, 2010, for the CNN Opinion section. The article was entitled, “Authentically Black, and Truly Catholic.” www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/09/05/white.catholic.black/index.html
Enjoy a song performed by our Conference Weaver, Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam. *Our Conference Weaver, Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam. (cyprianconsiglio.com) has produced numerous books and songs. If you are not familiar with him, or if you are, you might enjoy this reflective piece: youtu.be/NNkhISDmeT0
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Would you consider being a Vision writer for the 2012 Conference? *The Vision is seeking members who are attending the 2012 Conference who would be interested in writing articles about the 2012 Conference for the July-August 2012 Vision. If you are would like to consider this opportunity and service to our members, or want to ask more questions about what this might entail, please contact Laurie Hansen Cardona at vision@nacc.org. Article deadlines for these articles will be June 8, 2012.
Would you contribute Items for the Silent Auction for the NACC 2012 Conference?We invite members to bring to the 2012 Conference handmade or other types of items, including items from your institution, for our silent auction to be held at the conference. Share your talents and gifts to benefit other members! Proceeds will go towards conference scholarships. If you are interested in contributing an item, please contact Susanne Chawszczewski at schaw@nacc.org.
2012 Conference Looking for BloggersThe NACC is planning to set up a blog for the 2012 Conference in Milwaukee. We are looking for experienced bloggers who are NACC members and are planning to attend this year’s conference. If you are interested in helping to blog live from the conference, please contact Susanne Chawszczewski at schaw@nacc.org.
Memories of MilwaukeeBack by popular demand -- we are pleased to offer two special local events during our 2012 conference. Join us for the opportunity to make special memories of your time in Milwaukee.
Friday Night Fish Fry - Friday, May 18, 2012
On Friday night in Milwaukee, just about every restaurant has one, and everyone is always looking to find their favorite – the
Friday Night Fish Fry. Join us for a Wisconsin tradition at a local Milwaukee favorite, the American Serb Hall. Serb Hall has been serving the community for over 50 years and their hospitality is just as good as their food.
The $25 cost includes transportation and an all-u-can-eat Haddock fish fry (served family style) with sides, soda, and coffee. Bus Pick up at the hotel is at 5:30 p.m. and Dinner is at 6:15 p.m.
Milwaukee Church Tour - Saturday, May 19, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Join us for a guided tour of three of Milwaukee’s local churches. We will travel by bus to St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, the Islamic Center, and St. Mary and St. Antonious Coptic Orthodox Church. Three continuing education hours will be offered.
The $35 cost includes the three-hour guided tour, transportation, and a light snack.
Registration and payment is due by April 16, 2012.
To download a registration form, click here.
In the March 15, 2012, news release from HealthCare Chaplaincy, you will find a conversation with Tracy Balboni, MD, MPH, of Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a palliative care research physician who emphasizes that meeting spiritual needs and the chaplain’s role are both key to effective palliative care. Go to: www.healthcarechaplaincy.org/about-us/enewsletter/issue-53-march-2012.html
Thank you for responding to the request for help on end-of-life discussion research *Paula Hopeck, doctoral candidate at Purdue University, expresses her deep gratitude for the responses to her request for her dissertation research topic on facilitating end-of-life decisions for others, particularly when there is conflict between the family. She wrote, “There has been a great response from your organization and I thank you sincerely for your help in this process.” She promised to share the results when her work is completed.
Thank you for responding to the request for advice from EPIC users *NACC member Karen Gorski, BCC, at the Henry Ford Health Care System thanks those who provided her helpful information for their system’s plans to adopt EPIC as the format for electronic medical records, and suggestions for the spiritual care element. Karen wrote, “I got some good responses from this last time -- and am sharing info among those that responded.” If you have any further comments on this topic, please direct them to Karen Gorski at kgorski1@hfhs.org.
Request: do you have experience creating Clinical Ladders?NACC member Sara Moore Kerai, MA, LPC, BCC, is a chaplain at Georgetown University Hospital. She and her colleague are looking at creating a Clinical Ladder for Chaplains in their department. They would really appreciate hearing from any NACC members or any NACC member whose system has experience creating Clinical Ladders as a way of advancement, recognition and promotion, supporting leadership and research development, etc. Contact Sara at SLM36@gunet.georgetown.edu.
Request: assistance in administering Catholic Patients’ Satisfaction SurveyNACC member Fr. Fidelis I. Ekemgba is about to conduct a Catholic Patients' Satisfaction Survey in the Hospital where he provides care. He requests input from members who have done this before. Questionnaire format, collection methods and the preservation of confidentiality of responders/patients especially would be helpful. He can be reached at fekemgba@susquehannahealth.org. Fr. Fidelis thanks you in advance for your assistance in this regard.
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The 2012 NACC audio conferences!Please see below our program for 2012. As an added benefit this year, we will be continuing the audio conferences focusing on theological topics, but have added a four-part series on Spiritual Care Leadership. Mark your calendars for the following dates.
For more information on the audio conferences and to download the registration form, click here.
2012 NACC local/regional events *We are in the midst of preparing the 2012 local events. Scheduled so far are the following. Mark your calendars today!
Yearly registrations for the 2012-2013 Spiritual Care Champions Series ended on Friday, March 16th, 2012. However, 2012 registrations for individual presentations will be available for $18 per phone line, for each individual presentation. The NACC worked with Catholic Health East and the other Catholic healthcare partners in developing a new, unique webinar series that explores the standards of practice for chaplains and spiritual care. We believe you will find this series very timely and educational.
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The 5th Annual National Healthcare Decisions Day is on April 16th!This announcement comes from the NHDD planners. "NHDD exists to inspire, educate, and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning." The possibilities for achieving this are endless. Below are some ideas of what to do in the final month:
Once again, thank you for your participation in and enthusiasm for NHDD. Together, we are making a difference for countless patients, families, and providers. It is a true honor to be working with all of you. Nathan A. Kottkamp, (nkottkamp@mcguirewoods.com) Chair, National Healthcare Decisions Day Initiative www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org
Online spiritual care knowledge base being developedJohn J. (Jack) Gleason, APC BCC (Retired), is building a free online spiritual care knowledge base as a resource for anyone to use in challenging spiritual care situations--such as issues of aging, fear of cancer recurrence, bad news--with over 200 samples in 24 categories. See what someone actually did and learned in a situation similar to yours. At www.acperesearch.net click on "Ideal Intervention Project." Locate your category in the Table of Contents, and then proceed to the appropriate page. E-mail Jack at mariejohn50@att.net regarding how to contribute your own experiences.
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APC webinarsPlease note that APC has graciously extended a special discount on APC Professional Chaplaincy Webinars to members of their Organizational Partner associations, AAPC, ACCA, ACPE, CASC, NACC, NAJC and NAVAC.
Our NACC members are invited to use a special promotion code that a member can access by going to this Member Only page on the NACC website:
www.nacc.org/resources/apc_webinars.asp
There you can also link to APC Store where you can use the code to register for live or recorded webinars. The code, when entered on the payment screen during final checkout, will deduct $20 from your webinar order. APC requests that we not share this code beyond our membership.
More info on these and other offerings: APC webinars
Look for ACPE offerings by going to: acpe.edu/ACPEAcademy.htm
HealthCare Chaplaincy WebinarsMore info: plainviews.healthcarechaplaincy.org/content/Conferences.aspx
The New SCC 2011 Salary Survey is now available!We are pleased to announce that the new SCC 2011 Salary Survey is now available. We are grateful to have partnered with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) to conduct this survey. We thank all our members who participated in the survey. This survey report is copyrighted material. Members of APC and NACC have access to this salary survey as a member benefit. Members are asked not to duplicate this survey for others. Non-members can consult the website of the Spiritual Care Collaborative, www.spiritualcarecollaborative.org to purchase a copy for a nominal fee. You can access this survey through the membership portal.
SCC 2011 Salary Survey for NACC members: www.nacc.org/resources/salarysurveyintro.asp
SCC 2011 Salary Survey for nonmembers: www.spiritualcarecollaborative.org/salary_survey.asp
We continue to encourage members to promote the chaplaincy profession. Please remember that the NACC office staff want to make sure you have resources to share. If you are planning to do a presentation, please contact Cindy Bridges (cbridges@nacc.org) so that she can send you brochures. Also we remind you that you can access on our NACC website the Chaplaincy Ministry video (or order one – see below) as well as two PowerPoint slideshows to use as a basis for the presentation at www.nacc.org/advancing/promo.asp.
Order your video promoting the chaplaincy professionOur video on Chaplaincy, both a recruitment version (that begins and ends with “Is God Calling You?”), and a version without this question, is available in DVD format. The charge is just $6.00, the cost of production and shipping. You may preview the video at this link. To order copies please email Cindy Bridges for instructions.
Accessing the chaplaincy profession video on YouTubeDo you know that you can also access the Chaplaincy video on YouTube? Since YouTube now allows more than 10 minute clips, we have been able to have YouTube host our video. You can access the video at www.nacc.org/advancing/promo.asp and visit the NACC’s YouTube channel (click “subscribe” to receive notifications when we add new content to our channel): www.youtube.com/user/CatholicChaplains.
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Healing Tree: a request for prayers *Please let us know if you would like our membership to pray for your health and healing. Also please let us know when you want us to remove your name from our Healing Tree.
We continue to pray for: Marybeth Harmon (breast cancer surgery), Joe Floryance, husband of Melissa Casanta-Floryance (cancer), Francesco Marshall, Tom Landry (at the death of his father, Thomas), Glenn and Pat Teske (recuperation from injuries suffered in car accident), Anna Maria Marabella (Surgery), Susan Murphy (recovering from hospital stay), Sr. Margaret Dougherty, DC (cancer), Fr. Jim Radde, SJ (cancer), Sr. Mary Clare Boland, SP, Sr. Phyllis Ann DiRenzo (treatment for breast cancer), Kathy Brier (hospitalization-daughter of NACC member Theresa Brier), Ginny Conron (POP surgery), Marcella Keefe-Slager (lung cancer and treatment), Gloria Troxler (preventive chemotherapy after ovarian surgery), Fr. Kevin Ikpah (eye troubles), Lourdes B. Ruta (wife of Peter Ruta, in recovery), and Kelly Elizabeth Sexton (cancer: daughter of NACC member Melyssa Sexton).
Recent job postings *The following positions have been posted in the last two weeks. Please go to www.nacc.org/positions/available.aspx for more information.
HOSPICE CHAPLAIN
Lancaster, PA - Hospice of Lancaster County
DIRECTOR, CHAPLAINCY
Harker Heights, TX - Seton Medical Center
CPE COORDINATOR
Duluth, MN - Essentia Health – St. Mary’s Medical Center
MANAGER of PASTORAL CARE
Will County, IL - Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center
PRIEST CHAPLAIN, Full-Time
Eau Claire, WI - The Center for Spiritual Care at Sacred Heart Hospital
PER DIEM CHAPLAIN
Fullerton, CA - St. Jude Medical Center
REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF SPIRITUAL CARE
Beaumont, TX – CHRISTUS Health Southeast Texas
CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN
Columbus, GA - St. Francis Hospital
DIRECTOR, PASTORAL CARE
Chicago, IL - Sinai Health System
Get your ad posted on a page that sees hundreds of visitors each week. A 100-word ad costs only $225 to run for two full months on our Positions Available page and is also included in two successive issues of NACC Now. For more information and a complete table of ad rates go to www.nacc.org/positions/adinfo.asp.
Positions wanted *In this time of change and uncertainty it is more important than ever to use every resource available. If you have lost your job recently, if you’re just seeking a new or better position, or if you are an employer seeking a chaplain for your organization, be sure to visit our Positions Wanted webpage. NACC members can take advantage of this free service by placing a job-seeking ad, for free, which will run for 60 days. To see the ads, visit www.nacc.org/positions/wanted.asp.
To place your own ad, send an email to Phil Paradowski: pparadowski@nacc.org.